The body includes various passageways such as arteries, other blood vessels, and other body lumens. These passageways sometimes become occluded by a tumor or restricted by plaque. To widen an occluded body vessel, balloon catheters can be used, for example, in angioplasty.
A balloon catheter can include an inflatable and deflatable balloon carried by a long and narrow catheter body. The balloon is initially folded around the catheter body to reduce the radial profile of the balloon catheter for easy insertion into the body.
During use, the folded balloon can be delivered to a target location in the vessel, e.g., a portion occluded by plaque, by threading the balloon catheter over a guide wire emplaced in the vessel. The balloon is then inflated, e.g., by introducing a fluid into the interior of the balloon. Inflating the balloon can radially expand the vessel so that the vessel can permit an increased rate of blood flow. In some cases, it is desirable to incise at least a portion of the plaque, which can further widen the vessel and increase the rate of blood flow. After use, the balloon is deflated and withdrawn from the body.
In another technique, the balloon catheter can also be used to position a medical device, such as a stent or a stent-graft, to open and/or to reinforce a blocked passageway. For example, the stent can be delivered inside the body by a balloon catheter that supports the stent in a compacted or reduced-size form as the stent is transported to the target site. Upon reaching the site, the balloon can be inflated to deform and to fix the expanded stent at a predetermined position in contact with the lumen wall. The balloon can then be deflated, and the catheter withdrawn.